The original Sky Rider was built purely as a one-off experimental machine, but aroused so much interest amongst enthusiasts worldwide, not least because of its 'outstanding individual achievement' award from the EAA in 1978, that Gary decided to market the design.

Conceptually the design is a fairly straight-forward high-wing tube-and-Dacron machine, using a single-surface wing (in standard form at least) and fully flying cruciform tail. The engine is hung out front with a tractor propeller, a position which allows easy fitment of a number of different power plants up to a recommended maximum of 50 hp. The most popular among Sky Rider builders are McCulloch Mc101, Robin EC25PS and Cuyuna 430.

Quite the most unusual aspect of the design is its use of flaps, which are more normally found on aircraft with much higher landing speeds, at the top end of the microlight category. Fitted to the trailing edge of the wing, the flaps give stalling speeds as low as 18mph (29kph) on the McCulloch-engined version.

Ground steering arrangements are also unusual. The tailwheel is castoring rather than steerable, while the main wheels can be braked independently, allowing the aircraft to be steered effectively on the rudder.